Homemade Vanilla!

I started making my own homemade vanilla last year. I made it in August and let it sit until December and gave it away as Christmas presents. For months I have been meaning to start another batch, and finally got around to doing it yesterday. I have read that you can reuse beans. So, for my original jar of beans I just added more vodka.With leftover beans that I haven't used since last year, I started another jar. 

The supplies. 

A big jar, vodka, and vanilla beans. I purchased my beans off ebay. I forget exactly how much they were last year, but I just checked on ebay and it looks like you can get a pound for around $30. The 1/2 gallon bottles of vodka were 11.99 a piece.  

This is what is left from last years batch that I strained out. After siting for a year, this stuff is pure gold! It tastes so delicious.

To prepare the beans, cut a slit down the middle of the bean to expose the seeds inside. This is optional, but then I cut the beans in half before putting them into the jar. 

The new jar I started was about 1/2 gallon. I split and cut 40 beans to add to the jar. I read that for every  1.75 liters (about 1/2 gallon) use 35-40 beans.  

I still had about 12 beans leftover that I added to the big jar along with the used beans from last batch. 

Finally, fill up the jars with vodka.

Done. This is literally the easiest project ever!

Already turning color just after a day. I am going to store them in a cabinet and take them out to shake up once a week. They should be ready in 4-6 months. 

In other news, I got a new hair cut and color! My talented sister-in-law Jessica did a wonderful job. I really love it.